Residential Heat Pump Maintenance

Heat Pumps

Our team of heating and cooling experts at Sierra Air Mechanical are dedicated to providing GTA residents with heat pump installation, maintenance, repairs, and replacements. Each member of our team is fully licensed and bonded, dedicated to providing excellent service.

Heat pumps are commonly used, in AC units and refrigerators for example, but many Canadians are unaware of how they work. Heat pumps work by extracting heat from one place and moving it to another. A clear example of this is an air conditioning unit, which transfers heat from inside the house to outside. Through a cycle of condensation and evaporation, heat is absorbed and transferred to another location.

Heat pumps are often used with cooling systems, but can be used year-round to provide excellent and efficient climate control in your home. During the winter, heat pumps extract heat from the air and transfer it into your home, exactly the reverse function of what they do in the summertime. These are called air-source heat pumps and are the most commonly used residential heat pump. Heat pumps can keep your home heated during the cold winter months, and cooled during the hot, humid summer.

Ground-source heat pumps extract heat from the ground, and groundwater, using geothermal energy. They are far less commonly used than air-source heat pumps but are gaining popularity in certain areas of Canada.

Our team at Sierra Air specializes in all residential heating and cooling needs, including heat pump system installation, maintenance, and repairs. Heat pumps provide both heating and cooling, and the flip side of the added convenience is that it means there are twice as many things that could go wrong! The first step to preventing heat pump problems is regular maintenance. After heat pump installation, our team can work with you to create a maintenance program in order to keep your heat pump functioning well, and keep costs down.

Common heat pump problems include:

Icing up (Winter): Your heat pump can ice up in the winter or in the summer. While it’s normal for your heat pump’s outdoor unit to be covered in a thin layer of frost or ice during the winter, if ice builds up, leaving a thick layer over the unit, then you know you’ve got a problem. This could be an issue with your unit’s defrost function, a blockage, a problem with the outdoor fan, or a refrigerant or water leak.

Icing up (Summer): An icing up heat pump in the summer means there is definitely a problem. This can be a blockage, refrigerant leak, or clogged filter, and should be addressed by a professional as soon as possible.

Poor heating or cooling: If your heat pump isn’t heating or cooling properly, this can be a lack of refrigerant, or an issue with the filters or valves.

If you would like a residential heat pump installed, need repairs, or a heat pump replacement, our team of heating and cooling experts is ready to help. Having a heat pump system professionally installed, and then following up with regular maintenance will ensure that this important heating and cooling system remains functioning all through the year.